Kalvin Phillips: Leeds return from Man City gathers serious pace as insider makes big claims with move subject to one condition

Ciaran McCarthy 05 May 2024 5:44 PM

Kalvin Phillips could be on his way back to Leeds as Manchester City are open to that transfer route

Fabrizio Romano has confirmed Kalvin Phillips will return to Manchester City from West Ham, and the Citizens are open to allowing the embattled midfielder to return to Leeds United.

Phillips has endured a very tough period of his career after working has way up to the top with the Whites. Indeed, he failed to play more than 16 Premier League games in a season and a half for Manchester City after moving there in 2022.

The half season owes to the fact City allowed him to leave on loan for West Ham as he was adding nothing to Pep Guardiola’s squad, having played just four league games prior to the move.

But that spell has potentially been even worse than just sitting on the sidelines for City was for Phillips.

Indeed, the midfielder was at fault for a goal on his Hammers debut and was then dropped to the bench, only managing another two league starts beyond that point.

Phillips has sat on the bench four times in the league without getting a sniff for West Ham – failing to show he’s worthy of a move to a decent side when he is to leave City.

It’s been a serious downfall from his days at Leeds, where the midfielder played 234 times between the Championship and Premier League, featuring in two top-flight seasons for his boyhood club after helping them back there, as well as breaking into the England squad and becoming a fixture in that side.

A return to Elland Road has been mooted, and given Phillips certainly won’t move to West Ham, there seems a possibility that is the case.

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Romano confirms Man City open to allowing Leeds return

Multiple reports have suggested the Hammers aren’t interested in signing him permanently, which goes without saying given his poor spell at the London club.

Now, Romano has confirmed Phillips will return to City in the summer – he reports the Englishman ‘will surely leave’ West Ham, in a plan that was decided weeks ago.

But there is the potential that City allow the embattled midfielder to go back to the Whites. Indeed, Romano directly stated that City are ‘open to solutions, including Leeds interest’.

For that to happen, the Whites would seemingly need to return to the Premier League. While Phillips has been poor, he’s not dropped back to Championship level, though he’d have hoped to show that with West Ham.

Beyond that, City and Leeds would have to come to an agreement regarding the transfer.

Given the wages Phillips earns at the Etihad are likely quite high, the Whites might want to bring him in on loan first, with the fact they’re not entirely sure what they’re getting from him also meaning a full transfer is risky.

But if he was to impress, there’s little doubt that Leeds would want to bring him back full time.

There seems to be no better place for Phillips to get back on track than the club who nurtured him as he was coming through the ranks, and helped him to become an England international.

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